 |
|
|
|
 A CNN iReport essay on raising kids without God draws record-breaking number of comments.
January 18th, 2013
06:32 PM ET
Godless mom strikes a chord with parentsBy Daphne Sashin, CNN Deborah Mitchell remembers the time, when her boys were younger, and another mom asked her about her religious beliefs. Mitchell was raised Catholic but moved away from religion in her early 20s. She told the other mother that she didn’t go to church and didn’t even really believe in God. Then, she says, the recruiting started. “She used to call my house and tell me she was praying for me. She’d leave me messages and leave cards in my mailbox with scripture,” Mitchell says. “I do realize that she meant well, but at the same time, I know my views were seen as wrong. I needed to be ‘saved.’” Mitchell, a mother of two teenagers in Texas who feels “immersed in Christianity,” started a blog about raising her children without religion because she felt frustrated and marginalized. She didn’t want to feel so alone, she says. This week, she gained a whole new audience and the reassurance that she's not alone. Her essay on CNN iReport, “Why I Raise My Children Without God,” drew 650,000 page views, the second highest for an iReport, and the most comments of any submission on the citizen journalism platform.  A neon sign celebrating Diwali 2012 hangs above Singapore's Little India district.
November 13th, 2012
09:21 AM ET
Celebrating Diwali? Send an iReportDiwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, begins on November 13 and is celebrated for several days afterward by millions of Hindus across the world as one of the most important events on their spiritual calendar. The word Diwali itself means 'festival of lamps', because houses and public spaces are decorated with scores of small oil lamps in honor of the goddess Lakshmi, to whom Hindus pray to for success and wealth. Throughout the festival, families purchase new clothes and buy sweets and snacks for themselves, relatives and friends. To commemorate Diwali, we want to see your best images of the most beautiful festival lights. Send them to CNN iReport.  Harpreet Kaur poses in front of her Jewett, Texas, home with a homemade sign.
August 10th, 2012
04:16 PM ET
Sikh iReports speak to long-held fears in their communityBy Jareen Imam, CNN (CNN) – After Sunday’s Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin, Sikhs across America started sharing their stories. Stories of shedding their turbans and cutting their hair to avoid ridicule. Stories of facing discrimination for the way they looked. Stories of being labeled Muslims or terrorists. Those stories were among the iReports submitted by Sikhs in the last week. Harpreet Kaur says her life changed drastically after the 9/11 attacks. Some classmates shunned her and she was taunted as a "rag head" and "bomber." 
October 17th, 2011
02:10 PM ET
Why do Hajj? 5 questions answeredAbout 3 million Muslims from more than 100 countries will pack the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, next month for Hajj, the biggest pilgrimage on the planet. What's it all about? We turned to Brown University Muslim chaplain and CNN iReporter Robert David Coolidge and Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, for a primer: 1. Why do Hajj? According to Islam, every Muslim is expected to make the pilgrimage at least once if they are healthy and can afford to. Some people spend their whole lives saving for the trip, while others return many times for spiritual enlightenment and forgiveness, says Coolidge, who will make his second pilgrimage this year with his wife. “There’s the belief that one’s prayers in the mosque in Mecca are multiplied many, many times,” Coolidge said. Only Muslims are allowed in Mecca, and the Saudi government sets quotas for each country to control the crowds. Because Coolidge’s name isn’t "recognizably Muslim,” he had to get written proof of his faith from a local imam.
April 27th, 2011
03:28 PM ET
Baptism in Missouri flood watersiReporter candy91 was on her way to church on Easter Sunday, and when she saw the high flood waters at Mount Calvary Powerhouse Church in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, she almost turned around and went home. A church van was shuttling people through the water and she helped transport a few people in her car as well. She had no idea that one of the young men in her car was planning to be baptized that day. Marcus Pegues was baptized in the flood waters. "He got baptized in the water that God provided for us. … We trudged on and had our Easter service. We didn’t let the water stop us," she said.
April 22nd, 2011
09:36 AM ET
iReport: Catholics walk miles as Holy Week sacrificeiReporter MjCantilero shot video of an annual pilgrimage of Catholics walking miles to Antipolo City, Philippines, last night. 'Thousands of devotees thread the hills of this city as a sacrifice for the Holy Week. Some walk from nearby cities and provinces, and there are barely vehicles passing the highway leading to the city. It's an amazing view. They stay overnight and sleep on the pavements or outside the church doors with only newspapers,' she said. 
December 23rd, 2010
05:44 PM ET
'God is' billboard replaces controversial Lincoln Tunnel atheist billboardBy Emanuella Grinberg and Nicole Saidi, CNN An atheist billboard on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel that declared Christmas a "myth" has been replaced by a pro-Christian billboard. The old billboard, put up in late November by the American Atheists organization, said "You know it's a myth. This season, celebrate reason." The sign stirred controversy among Christian organizations, prompting the Catholic League to erect its own pro-Christmas billboard on the New York side of the tunnel that read, "You Know It's Real: This Season Celebrate Jesus." The new sign, which was posted by the Manhattan-based Times Square Church, reads "God is," and includes a word cloud of religious themes. 
October 9th, 2010
03:13 PM ET
Choirs, submit your iReportsIn Black in America’s third year, CNN will focus on the church. Spiritual and gospel music has always been at the heart of the black church. To honor this rich tradition, CNN is inviting choirs around the world of all denominations to sing as one. How to participate: Gather your choir and sing a very special hymn, “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power” by Andrae Crouch - commonly referred to as “The Blood.” Then upload your video below. CNN will blend all the videos together to create a unique global version.
September 30th, 2010
08:59 AM ET
iReports capture Atlanta pastors blasting, defending pastor Eddie LongTwo new CNN iReports capture Atlanta pastors with opposite takes on the sexual coercion allegations facing Pastor Eddie Long, who's also based in the Atlanta area. In one iReport, Dennis A. Meredith (pictured), Affirming Pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Atlanta - which Meredith calls the largest church-based transgendered ministry in the southeastern U.S. - blasts Long for his alleged behavior and for his past criticism of homosexuality. The video was made by an independent filmmaker and submitted by a member of Meredith's congregation. View the iReport video of Meredith here. Mark Anthony Mitchell, Sr., is Senior Pastor of Atlanta Urban Foursquare Church and Executive Director of Jesus for Justice Poor People’s Campaign, a nonprofit community development corporation. Close to Long in the past, Mitchell has penned a defense of the pastor, calling it an "open letter from his spiritual son." Here's the top:
September 7th, 2010
09:41 PM ET
What would you ask the imam behind the Islamic center near ground zero?CNN has secured an exclusive interview with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf , the man behind the proposed Islamic center near New York's ground zero. We want you to help generate the questions we ask. The live interview happens Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on a special edition of "Larry King Live." Before his editorial in the New York Times was published online Tuesday night, Rauf had said virtually nothing to the news media since the controversy over his project erupted this summer - even after President Obama himself weighed in. The imam has been out of the country for the last month or so. Now that he's finally talking, what would you ask him? |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke and Eric Marrapodi with daily contributions from CNN's worldwide newsgathering team and frequent posts from religion scholar and author Stephen Prothero.  |
|
|
|
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertise with us | About us | Help | Advertising Practices
